Rumored for some time, Warner Bros. has officially confirmed that their upcoming Christopher Nolan bat-finale, The Dark Knight Rises, will receive a special prologue before select IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol beginning December 16th. Details of the event are listed below in the official press release along with a list of the 42 locations that will be offering the six-minute opening:

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” — the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy — is one of the most anticipated films of 2012, but moviegoers won’t have to wait until next year to see the six-minute opening sequence of the film. The film’s prologue will be unveiled exclusively in select 70mm IMAX® theatres worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Prologue will be released in North America on December 16, and in the UK on December 21, 2011. Additional international dates vary by territory and will be announced soon.

In making the 2008 blockbuster “The Dark Knight,” Nolan was the first to use IMAX® cameras in a major motion picture release, and, as now, audiences were given an advance look at that film’s prologue months prior to the Summer 2008 opening. Nolan employed the extremely high-resolution cameras even more extensively on “The Dark Knight Rises”—including the film’s prologue—to achieve unprecedented crispness and clarity and a truly immersive experience for the moviegoers.

Christopher Nolan stated, “Our experience on ‘The Dark Knight’ shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring. The immersive quality of the image goes beyond any other filmmaking tool available, and in revisiting Gotham, we were determined to shoot even more of the movie in this unique format. Giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence is a great way to draw attention to what I believe will be an incredible way to experience our story when it comes out next summer.”

Following is a list of the theatres in North America in which the Prologue of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be revealed on December 16th:

Market – Theatre – City

Austin, TX – IMAX Theater Austin – Austin

Boston, MA – Jordan’s IMAX – Natick

Boston, MA – IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading – Reading

Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 – Calgary

Chantilly, VA/Washington, DC – Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX – Chantilly

Chicago, IL – Navy Pier IMAX Theatre – Chicago

Des Moines, IA – SCI IMAX Dome Theater – Des Moines

Detroit, MI – Henry Ford IMAX – Dearborn

Edmonton, AB – Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton – Edmonton

Harrisburg, PA – Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts – Harrisburg

Houston, TX – Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX – Houston

Indianapolis – White River IMAX – Indianapolis

Los Angeles, CA – Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX – Irvine

Los Angeles, CA – RAVE 18 + IMAX – Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA – Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX – Ontario

Los Angeles, CA – Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX – Universal City

Madison, WI – Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX – Fitchburg

Miami, FL – AutoNation IMAX – Fort Lauderdale

Minneapolis, MN – Great Clips IMAX – Apple Valley

Montreal, QC – Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal – Montreal

Nashville,TN – Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX – Nashville

New York, NY – Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX – New York

New York, NY – Palisades IMAX – West Nyack

Omaha, NE – Star Cinema 16 with IMAX – Council Bluffs

Orlando, FL – Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX – Orlando

Ottawa, ON – Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX – Gloucester

Palm Springs – Desert IMAX Theatre – Cathedral City

Philadelphia, PA – IMAX & the Tropicana – Atlantic City

Philadelphia, PA – Tuttleman IMAX–Franklin Institute – Philadelphia

Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX – Tempe

Providence, RI – Providence Place 16 with IMAX – Providence

Quebec City, QC – IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec – Quebec City

Sacramento, CA – Esquire IMAX – Sacramento

San Antonio, TX – IMAX at RiverCenter – San Antonio

San Francisco, CA – Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX – San Francisco

Seattle, WA – Boeing IMAX–Pacific Science Center – Seattle

Tampa, FL – Museum of Science and Industry – Tampa

Toronto, ON – Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX – Mississauga

Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX – Toronto

Toronto, ON – Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX – Woodbridge-Vaughan

Vancouver, BC – Colossus Langley + IMAX – Langley

Vancouver, BC – Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX – Richmond

Below is a list of the theatres in the UK in which the Prologue of “The Dark Knight Rises” will be revealed on December 21st:

Nolan directed “The Dark Knight Rises” from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull are the executive producers, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. “The Dark Knight Rises” is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman created by Bob Kane.

“The Dark Knight Rises” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The prologue has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for “some violence.”